Pictured are just some of the Fresh For You suppliers including (L to R) Ruairi Cunningham from Strathroy Dairy, County Tyrone, Pauline Gordon from Linden Foods, County Tyrone, Julie Cherry, Category Manager, Musgrave, Gwen Rafferty from Willowbrook Foods, County Down and Thomas Gilpin from Gilfresh Produce, County Armagh, who each appear in a series of specially filmed videos which can be viewed on the Centra and SuperValu Facebook pages over the coming weeks. PIC BY KELVIN BOYES/PRESS EYE

LEADING retailer Musgrave announced a £100 million commitment to the local food and drink industry last year.

And to date, they have spent £17 million developing their own-brand range, Fresh For You.  

The Fresh For You range is available in leading convenience retailers, SuperValu, Centra and Mace, explained Desi Derby, Marketing Director, Musgrave.

“We said we would commit a huge sum of money to Northern Ireland’s food and drink sector and nowhere is that investment more evident than in the production of our Fresh For You range.

“This entire range, comprising over 100 individual products, is made by local producers from right across the province that are as passionate about quality local food and drink as we are.

“Through this range we’re able to make a positive impact on the economy too by supporting jobs across the food and agri sectors, particularly in the farming community, so it’s a win, win for Northern Ireland,” said Desi.

He added: “Our partnership with the hardworking families and producers who make our Fresh For You range has allowed us to be innovative and continually improve quality and drive value.

!It’s something that gives this range real stand-out in the own brand market.”

The Fresh For You range of products are only possible due to the calibre of the highly skilled producers available in Northern Ireland, continued Desi.

“We’ve started to redesign all our packaging for this brand, calling out the local suppliers name, where they’re from and telling customers a little bit more about them.

“Customers are telling us this is what they want – provenance and supporting local is very important to them.

“Some of these suppliers include Willowbrook Foods from County Down, Strathroy Dairy from County Tyrone, Linden Foods from County Tyrone and Gilfresh Produce from County Armagh, to name a few, who each appear in a series of specially filmed videos which can be viewed on our Centra and SuperValu Facebook pages.”

Musgrave’s commitment to the food and drink sector in Northern Ireland cannot be underestimated, continued Desi.

“As well as employing 5,000 people across the Musgrave business, we also support jobs in every County in Northern Ireland.

“We’re passionate about what we do and that includes the people we work with – it’s simple for us, customer’s demand quality products at a great price and we see it as our job to provide it.”

The Fresh For You range is now award-winning too, having been recognised by the prestigious Great Taste Awards.

Desi continued: “We were thrilled when our Fresh For You meals, Bacon and Cabbage Dinner and Leek and Bacon Gratin won Great Taste Awards recently.

“Our vision for the Fresh For You range is to continually improve so this award is validation that we’re getting it right on taste.

“Our commitment in delivering a fantastic product, every time across our Fresh For You range is stronger than ever and we hope consumers continue to enjoy the huge variety available at Mace, Centra and SuperValu stores”, concluded Desi.

The Centra, SuperValu and Mace, Fresh For You ranges are available in selected stores across Northern Ireland.

For further information on Centra, SuperValu or Mace visit www.centra.co.uk, www.supervalu.co.uk or www.maceni.co.uk.